


to be sitting next to you (means stealing your food)

by punkjuggie



Category: Riverdale (TV 2017)
Genre: Fluff, Hurt/Comfort, Kid Fic, Tiny bit of Angst, food sharing fic, mentions of barchie
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2017-03-07
Updated: 2017-03-07
Packaged: 2018-09-30 06:28:53
Rating: Not Rated
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,467
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/10156190
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/punkjuggie/pseuds/punkjuggie
Summary: They'd think Archie was the one that glued them all together, but Betty and Jughead were connected through food and misfortune.Or the one where Betty and Jughead share food.





	

**Author's Note:**

> I'm hooked to Riverdale. Feel free to request fics @punkjuggie.tumblr.com

“Hey Juggie,” the cheerful voice calls out to him. A six-year-old Betty Cooper is standing behind a small table on her front lawn, with a jar of pink lemonade and plastic cups. “Wanna buy my lemonade?” 

****

Jughead eyes the drink, suddenly reminded of how thirsty he is on this hot summer day. But then, his gaze drifts off to the handmade sign taped to the table, reading ‘50¢ lemonade’. He buries his hands in his pants pockets, looking for loose change he knows he doesn’t have. Still, when he comes up empty-handed, his shoulders droop in disappointment. 

****

“Sorry Bets, I’m out of quarters,” he says, offering her a shy smile. 

****

Betty giggles. “Then go ask your dad, dummy! Isn’t he around?” 

****

Jughead’s smile falters, and he tears his eyes away from the blond girl to stare at his shoes. They’re dirty and worn out and they start to feel a little uncomfortable as the days go. He knows he’s outgrown them, he needs a new pair, but he also knows his dad has other priorities. 

****

“Juggie?” Betty repeats and Jughead shakes his head. 

****

“I’m not sure where he is,” he admits, kicking at a small rock by his foot. When he looks up again, Betty looks pensive, a determined frown on her face. 

****

“Here’s the deal: you can have as much lemonade as you want, as long as you help me out at the stand,” she offers. Jughead raises an eyebrow, looking around at the empty street. 

“Right, ‘cause you are simply swamped right now,” he jokes dryly and Betty rolls her eyes. 

****

“Managing a lemonade stand all alone is a little boring Juggie, so would you be a dear and come behind the table with me?” she demands. “You can tell me stories while we wait for some potential customers,” she adds sweetly. 

****

“And drink lemonade?” 

****

Betty grins. “Maybe even popsicles,” she winks at him.

****

“Say no more,” Jughead tells her and makes his way behind the table.

****

While he sits there that day, sipping on his pink drink and munching on his cool treats, he thinks that perhaps he is happiest when eating food and hanging out with the girl-next-door. 

****

-

****

He’s nine years old and waiting for Archie in a booth at Pop’s. He knows he’s not supposed to stay if he doesn’t order anything, but Pop has a sweet spot for the boy and gives him a free pass. 

****

Jughead looks over at the retro clock. Archie is late again. His stomach growls as the scent of freshly-made cheeseburgers fills the air, but he ignores it. His dad is out of town for “business” and he didn’t leave any money, just packs of ramens and a box of mac and cheese. He grabs a napkin and pulls out his pen out of his pocket and starts to draw to focus on something else than the mouth-watering food. 

****

He’s got a burger, a milkshake and a sunday doodled on the paper towel when Betty sits down across from him. 

****

“Hey Juggie!” she greets him and a small smile appears on Jughead’s lips. He’s been described as a moody kid by a lot of people, but no one can get him to light up the way Betty Cooper does. “What are you up to?”

****

He shrugs. “Just waiting for Archie,” he says. He feels his heart sink when Betty throws him a pitiful look. 

****

“Jug…” she says softly. “Archie’s gone camping with his dad all weekend.”

****

Jughead stares at his doodles, avoiding Betty’s eyes at all costs. He feels stupid. He wants to be mad at Archie for leaving without telling him, for betraying him. Instead, he finds himself furious with his dad. He’d give anything to have a weekend away with his dad, spending time with him, just the two of them. 

****

Normally when he’s upset, he eats but there’s nothing for him here, so balls up his little napkin of doodles and stands up to leave. 

****

“Wait!” Betty suddenly exclaims, her small hand wrapped around Jughead’s arm. “I know I’m no Archie, but maybe you could hang out with me instead?” she asks, blue eyes sparkling with hope and a genuine smile on her face. 

****

Jughead thinks that Betty is probably an angel, sent down to Earth to look over him. At least he thinks she looks like one. 

****

He slowly sits down, throwing the ball of paper at the end of the table. He’s about to speak, thank her sticking around, when his stomach growls again, even louder. His cheeks heat up but Betty giggles, so he figures it’s worth it. 

****

“You hungry, Juggie?” she asks him. 

****

“When am I not?” he jokes and she laughs again. 

****

“If you make a doodle of me on a napkin, I’ll buy us a plate of fries,” she tells him, pulling out her weekly allowance. 

****

“You want me to draw you on a napkin?” he asks, incredulous. “Why?”

****

“Because you’re good, dummy! I like your drawings,” she admits and she kindly does not mention the blush creeping on Jughead’s cheeks. 

****

“Alright,” Jughead smiles. “But I’m only doing this for the fries, Bets!”

Betty rolls her eyes, clearly amused. “Whatever you say, Jug.”

****

And when Jughead pretends watch her intently, like a real artist doing a real portrait, eyes lingering a second too long, he convinces himself it’s really all for the fries. 

****

-

****

He’s thirteen when he sees her cry for the first time. 

****

Jughead had to stay over for detention and he didn’t think he’d be running into this late at school. Yet, there she is, coming out of the girls’ bathroom, eyes all puffy and red. 

****

“Oh no,” she whimpers when she spots him and turns around to walk the other way. If it would have been anyone else, he would have been thankful, not having to comfort an emotional classmate. Jughead is not all comfortable in this kind of situation. 

****

But this is Betty. ‘Pink-lemonade stand’ and ‘doodles for fries’ Betty. It was ‘days on the swing’ and ‘night in Archie’s basement’ and ‘weekends at Pop’s’ Betty and he could not simply ignore her. 

****

“Bets, wait,” he calls out but Betty just starts walking faster towards the exit. 

****

“I’m fine Jughead, I’ll see you Monday,” she insists but the boy quickly catches up to her, a hand grazing her arm. 

“Betty,” he lets out softly and his friend stops. She still has his back to him but he can see her shoulders trembling .

****

When she turns around, she has fresh new tears welling up in her eyes and Jughead’s heart break for the first time. 

****

“Jug,” she chokes out and buries her face in his neck, throwing her arms around his torso in an awkward hug. Jughead is not the touchy-feely guy, he doesn’t like being touched in general, but he makes an exception for Betty and wraps his arms around her too. He strokes her back with his hand, wishing he could make her stop hurting. 

****

“Shh, it’s alright Betty, it’s gonna be fine,” he reassures her, even though he doesn’t know if that’s the truth. He hopes it is. 

****

“I thought he’d like me back,” she hiccups against his shoulder and Jughead shuts his eyes tight. He thinks he understands what’s going on. 

****

“Oh Betty,” he sighs, not knowing what else to say. He should have known this was an Archie-related problem. Even though his best friend is a nice guy, he is not always the most considerate person he knows. 

****

The most considerate person he knows is breaking down in his arms at the very moment. 

****

Jughead takes out a tissue out of his jacket’s pocket the moment she pulls away and is surprised to hear her chuckle. It’s a humourless chuckle ad Jughead would do anything to make her laugh again. 

****

“I feel so stupid,” she says, accepting the tissue. “Thanks Juggie.”

****

Jughead looks at her and curses Archie for breaking his friend. 

****

“You wanna eat something?” he proposes, anything to take her mind off the redhead boy. 

****

“I don’t know,” Betty shakes her head. “I’m not very hungry. I think I’m gonna just go home.”

****

“I’ve got left over pizza and a drive-in,” he adds, a smirk on his face. Betty face lights up. 

****

“Could we watch the Princess Diaries?” she asks timidly, a hint of smile on her lips. 

****

“Whatever you want, Betty,” he chuckles. 

****

“And we wouldn’t have to talk about what just happened?” her gaze suddenly drops down to the floor. 

****

“Betty,” he says and waits for her to look up again. “Nothing would make me happier than to never talk about this again,” he tells her, sweeping at the spot of tears she left on his shirt for emphasis. 

** He feels his heartbeat pick up when she laughs, and Jughead figures everything  _ will  _ be alright.    
**


End file.
